Fishing device



Oct. 31, 1939. R. A. sPlTz ET Al. 2,177,912

\ FISHING DEVICE Filed May 19,-1959 fuel/obb p21 ig Owen. 00272928Patented Oct. 31, 1939" PATENT OFFICE FISHING DEVICE Rudolph A. Spitz,Lawrence Visovatt, and Owen Cobble, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application May 19, 1939, Serial No. 274,626

7 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and use ful improvements infishing devices.

The lprimary object of the invention is to prov vide a fishing device inwhich a reel, line and resilient rod are associated with a support orholder in combination with a trip device for holding the resilient rodin a bowed position when the line is baited and set for fishing with thetrip device releasable from the outer end of the resilient bowed rod tocause sudden snap movement of the bowed rod into a straight position anda consequent pull on the fishing line for hooking a sh.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shing device of theforegoing character wherein the holder for the fishing rod, reel andline may be mounted upon the gunwale of a boat so that the fisherman isfree for other duties when the fishing device is set, it being alsopossible to use the device for dock or pier fishing or from the bank ofa lake or river or ice fishing.

With the above and other objects in View that will become apparent asthe nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists inthe novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a fishing device constructed inaccordance with the present invention, the same being illustrated asmounted upon the gunwale of a boat that is shown in section, theresilient rod of the fishing device and the trip therefor beingfragmentarily illustrated by dotted lines in their released fishcatching position;

Figure 2 is afragmentary side elevational View of' the sectional triprod and the outer end of the resilient fishing rod engaged therewith,springs being associated with the hinge connection between the sectionsof the trip rod for hold-` ing them in alinement during the setting ofthe fishing device;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the outer end of thetrip device engaged with the outer end of the resilient fishing rod;

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Figure 3,showing the link connection be tween the outer end of the resilient`fishing rod 50 and the trip device;

Figure 5 is a detail sectional View taken on line `5-45 of Figure 3,showing the spring finger holder for the fishing line carried by thetrip device;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the trip device; and

Figure '7 is a detail sectional View taken online 'l-'l of Figure 1.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, there isillustrated a fishing reel, a line, a resilient rod and a trip devicefor holding the 5 rod in bowed position when the fishing line is set,all of said elements being mounted upon a support in the form of a clampdesignated by the reference character IU that comprises a pair of clamparms ll and l2, a clamping screw I3 being 10 threaded through the arm l2and havin-g a head I4 thereon for cooperation with the arm Il to anchorthe clamp to asupport. As shown in Figure l, the support orclamp isattached tothe gunwale l5 of a boat through the medium of a 15 wingscrew i6, the shank of the screw being threaded perpendicularly inthegunwale I5 with the head thereof engaged by the clamp arm ll andcooperating screw head I4.

A plate `I'! is anchored to each side of th clamp I0 by means of rivetsI3, the plate I1 20 being preferably of rectangular formation and eachupper corner edge thereof carrying a channel-shaped lug I9 extendingabove the upper edge of the clamp body l0 and havin-g a flange 29overlying and spaced above the upper edge of the clamp l0 as clearlyshown in Figure 7. The fishing reel 2l includes a bracket plate havingoutwardly directed arms 22 that are slid into position upon the upperend of the clamp lll to be confined by the flanges 2U of the channellugs i9. The fishing rod 23 is normally straight and resilient, theinner end 23a of the resilient fishing rod 23 being removably set intoone of the perpendicular openings 24 at the upper end of theY clamp arml2 as illustrated by dotted lines in Figure l. The shing line 25extending from the reel 2l is threaded through suitably spaced guideeyes 26 carried by the rod 23 and further through a coiled wire guide 2lto be later described more in detailv at the outer end 23h of thefishing rod 23, the shingline'25 having a fish hook 28 at its free end.I

A trip device is associated with the clamp lll and resilient rod 23 forholding 4the latter in a 45` bowed position as illustrated in Figure 1when the fishing device is set, the` trip device preferably comprising arod formed of three sections 29, 30 and 3l that are hingedly connectedtogether as at 32, the hinged end of the rod section 3l over- 50 lyingthe outer end of the intermediate rod section 3G while the hinged innerend of the rod section 33 overlies the outer end of the inner rodsection 29, the overlapping ends of the rodsections being in abuttingengagement with the underlying ends of the associated rod sections sothat the two outer rod sections 38 and 3| may only move upwardly intoalignment with the innei rod section 23, but may swing downwardly ontheir hinge connections 32. Coil springs 33 aie slidable on thesectional rod for holding the rod sections in alignment during thesetting of the trip, but are displaced from the overlying ends of therod sections when the shing device is set to permit downward swingingmovement of the rod sections 3U and 3l.

'Ihe iishing line guide 2l is located at the outer side of the outer end23h of the resilient fishing rod 23 and the wire of said coiled guide,as shown more clearly in Figure 3, carries an end extension 34 from oneend of the coil that is secured to the outer side of the fishing rodwhile an eX- tension from the other end of the wire guide coil 27extends across the outer end of the fishing rod and is bent to provide aloop 35 with the ter-- minal end of the loop flatly engaged with theinner side of the iishing rod as at 36. A link 31 is carried by the loop35 and is engageable with an upstanding finger 33 rising from the outerend of the trip rod section 3l. A pair of resilient wire fingers 39extends from the outer end of the rod section 3l in line therewith andbetween which fingers, the fishing line is positioned to be frictionallyretained thereby, the fishing line 25 above said lingers preferably isiiexed as at 25a` as shown in Figure l.

The inner rod section 29, as shown in Figures 1 and 7, is slidablymounted in the clamp l0 beneath the arms 22 of the reel 2l, the innerend of the rod section 29 having a pair of openings 40 therein thatregister with the openings 24 in the clamp arm l2 with the inner end 23aof the resilient iishing rod 23 passing through a selected one of saidopenings l0 for retaining the sectional trip rod in position on theclamp.

The fishing device is illustrated in its set position by full lines inFigure 1 and when a fish bites upon the hook 28, there is a slightdownward pull on the outer end of the trip rod section 3| to disengagethe trip finger 38 from the link 3l, the inherent resiliency of the rod23 tending to straighten out the rod and exert a sudden jerk or pull onthe iishing line for snagging or catching the iish. It is understoodthat the position retaining springs 33 associated with the trip rodsections were previously disengaged from the overlapping ends of saidtrip rod section so that when the link 31 is disengaged from the nger38, the trip rod sections drop down to an out-of-the-way position asshown by dotted lines in Figure 1. The fisherman may then play the reel2l for the proper landing of the caught iish. It will also be understoodthat the fishing line 25 is disengaged from the spring ngers 39 by anoutward and upward pull of the spring rod 23 so that the sh may beplayed without hindrance with the aid of the line and reel.

While there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment ofthe invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changesmay be made therein without departing Jfrom the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fishing device of the character described, a supporting member,a resilient fishing rod attached at one end to said member, and a tripdevice carried by said member and releasably engageable with the outerend of the shing rod for holding the rod in bowed position against theresiliency thereof when the rod is set for fishing,

a fishing line reel supported on said member, line guides carried bysaid rod and means carried by the trip device resiliently engaged withsaid line outwardly of the connection between the line and trip device.

2. In a fishing device of the character described, a supporting member,a resilient fishing rod attached at one end to said member, and a tripdevice carried by said member and releasably engageable with the outerend of the fishing rod for holding the rod in bowed position against theresiliency thereof when the rod is set for fishing, the supportingmember comprising a clamp adapted for attachment to a holder, and thetrip device comprising a rod formed of hingedly connected sectionsmovable only in downward direction when released from said fishing rod.

3. In a fishing device of the character described, a supporting member,a resilient fishing rod attached at one end to said member, and a tripdevice carried by said member and releasably engageable with the outerend of the shing rod for holding the rod in bowed position against theresiliency thereof when the rod is set for shing, a fishing line reelsupported on said member, line guides carried by said rod and meanscarried by the trip device resiliently engaged with said line outwardlyof the connection between the line and trip device, the supportingmember comprising a clamp adapted for attachment to a holder and thetrip device comprising a rod formed of hingedly connected sectionsmovable only in downward direction when released from said shing rod.

4. In a fishing device of the character described, a supporting member,a resilient fishing rod attached at one end to said member, and a tripdevice carried by said member and releasably engageable with the outerend of the fishing rod for holding the rod in bowed position against theresiliency thereof when the rod is set for shing, the supporting membercomprising a clamp adapted for attachment to a holder, and the tripdevice comprising a rod formed of hingedly connected sections movableonly in downward direction when released from said fishing rod, theconnection between the trip device and fishing rod including a ngerrising from the outer end of the sectional rod and a link on the outerend of the fishing rod held in frictional engagement with said finger bythe inherent resiliency of said shing rod.

5. In a fishing device of the character described, a supporting member,a resilient iishing rod attached at one end to said member, and a tripdevice carried by said member and releasably engageable with the outerend of the fishing rod for holding the rod in bowed position against theresiliency thereof when the rod is set for shing, a shing line reelsupported on said member, line guides carried by said rod and meanscarried by the trip device resiliently engaged with said line outwardlyof the connection between the line and trip device, the supportingmember comprising a clamp adapted for attachment to a holder and thetrip device comprising a rod formed of hingedly connected sectionsmovable only in downward direction when released from said fishing rod,the connection between the trip device and fishing rod including afinger rising from the outer end of the sectional rod and a link on theouter end of the iishing rod held in frictional engagement with saidfinger by the inherent resiliency of said fishing rod.

6. In a fishing device of the character` deresiliency thereof when therod is set for iishing,

i the trip device comprising a rod formed of hingedly connectedsections, the outer sections each having a part extending inwardly ofthe hinge `and overlying the other end of the adjacent inner sectionwhereby said sections swing downwardly when the trip device is releasedfrom said resilient fishing rod.

7. In a iishing device of the `character described, a supporting member,a resilient shing rod attached at one end to said member, and a tripdevice carried by said member and releasably engageable with the outerend of the fishing rod for holding the rod in bowed position against theresiliency thereof when the rod is set for shing, a iishing line reelsupported on said member, line guides carried by said rod and meanscarried by the trip device resiliently engaged with said line outwardlyof the connection between the line and trip device, the trip devicecomprising a rod formed of hingedly connected sections, the outersections each having a part extending inwardly of the hinge andoverlying the outer end of the adjacent inner section whereby saidsections swing downwardly when the trip device is released from saidresilient fishing rod.

' RUDOLPH A. SPITZ.

LAWRENCE VISOVAlTTI. OWEN COBBLE.

